steven. thank you for joining us, doctor. over the past 10 years have we seen an increase or decrease in the number of breast cancer cases. >> in the past 10 years we've seen steady decline at the rate of 2% per year. prior to that it was a steady increase, but, still, this year we expect 230,000 women in the united states to be diagnosed with breast cancer and about 40,000 will die from it. >> and it affects so many people. it's a disease that really hits home and we try to bring more attention to it during the month of october. what should you do if you see something suspicious prior to or in between your mammogram. >> if something is identified on a breast exam, usually we recommend an imaging to help characterize it and help to guide further treatment. if something is identified on a mammogram or potentially an ultrasound, usually the patient at that point will undergo a biopsy. depending on what the findings are they will be referred to a surgeon. >> we can all imagine how overwhelming this would be. tell mow about the m